


Honey Snakes

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Derek Hale is good with animals, Hufflepuff Derek Hale, M/M, Professor Derek Hale, Professor Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Slytherin Stiles Stilinski, Sterek Bingo 2017, Unicorns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 17:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10791426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: The first day Stiles spends as a professor at Hogwarts he meets an oddly comforting dog- wolf?- in the Great Hall, the next day he meets an oddly gorgeous new professor at the Sorting Ceremony, and by the first month he's managed to find out that they're actually the same person- and that person is not explicitly pleased with Stiles' snooping





	Honey Snakes

**Author's Note:**

> First day of Sterek Bingo!! (Thus why I didn't post at all last month *cough*) Have I ever said how much I love Slytherin!Stiles and Hufflepuff!Derek? Because I do, especially after Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, because I love the idea of Derek being kind of a modern, grumpier Newt
> 
> The title sucks because it's just a pun on SlytherPuffs that my mom and I came up with but I don't know what else to change it to

"I can't believe this is finally happening! Can you believe it Scott?!"

"It's pretty incredible," Scott said with a quick nod, adjusting the bag over his shoulder as they walked

"I mean, I've been waiting for most of my life for this day and now it's FINALLY here!"

"Well it isn't really MOST of your life, actually it's only been half,"

Stiles stopped in his tracks, looking crossed between confused and devastated

"Dude, why are you trying to ruin my happy day?"

"I'm not, really, I just... I don't want you to get disappointed, I think you might be putting a little more into this than there really is,"

"A little more... Scott what are you trying to say? I'm teaching at Hogwarts! I've wanted this for ten years!"

"I know I know, it's just.. it's just teaching though, even at Hogwarts, it's... Stiles, are you sure that you're this excited about being a professor, and not just excited about finally cementing your life in the magical world? I mean, Hogwarts is pretty much the pinnacle of being part of the magical community versus the muggle community, are you sure you're really excited to work at Hogwarts rather than just... really excited to finally have something more permanent here?"

Stiles swallowed tightly, lips pressed hard together as he glared at the other professor in front of him

"Wow, I can't believe you,"

"Stiles-"

"Listen, um.. I'm gonna go explore the castle a little ok? I'll have my bags sent to my room and I'll talk to you later,"

"Stiles-"

Unfortunately, Stiles was already gone, apparting to the main hall and leaning against the nearest table to take something of a breather

He was upset over the ordeal, even though he knew he shouldn't take it so personally, he couldn't help it

Scott was right in a way, as much as he truly hated to admit in, part of the reason he was so enthusiastic about Hogwarts was, in fact, because he wanted to be more cemented in this world, in life as a wizard, but that didn't mean that he didn't REALLY want to be a teacher here

And it also didn't mean that he was a big fan of Scott poking at wounds that were trying to heal- even if he did think that he was just somehow protecting Stiles

He walked into the Great Hall frustrated and depressed and just wanting to go down to his old common room and lay on the couch...

But being back here, atleast it felt a tiny bit better, even if not by much

He had always come to the Great Hall as a type of second sanctuary, when, for whatever reason, being in the Slytherin dorms or common room just didn't make him feel great, and it seemed that feeling hadn't gone away

He breathed in the air, closing his eyes and just trying to let the atmosphere relax him... when he heard something

The sound of claws on tile...

He snapped his eyes open, staring across the room at .. a wolf....

A huge, black wolf....

_Well then_

"Um..."

The wolf moved to lay down calmly in front of him, clearly not seeming aggravated or aggressive in any way

Huh... maybe he was a magical wolf?

It wouldn't be the first time Stiles had come across something like that

"So ... you're a magic wolf then? Or something?"

Not that the wolf would answer him- although maybe he would, who knows? Talking animals weren't COMPLETELY unheard of

Slowly, the wolf stood up, making his way over to where Stiles was sitting and plopping down in front of him

"Huh... maybe you're just a big dog," he muttered, reaching out (stupidly) and gently scratching the wolf- dog?- behind the ears

Honestly? Stiles could kind of use the attention of a dog right now, because he felt like crap and the best remedy for feeling like crap in ANY world is venting to a dog

"You got a second buddy? 'Cause I could REALLY use a freind right now, and I just... I don't know... I know Scott is only trying to help but his idea of 'helping' is putting people in uncomfortable situations because they're more idealistic, like, sure, ideally I could look at this job objectively and be able to teach with an equal appreciation for both the wizarding world and the muggle world, but.. bloody hell, I spent a _year_ in the muggle world, I tutored students all last year to even see if teaching was workable, isn't all that ENOUGH? I just want to be here and be happy... my reasons are my own, and what does the muggle world even HAVE that's better here besides the entertainment? And look, listen, accio Gwenpool Issue #1!"

Just as he expected, there in his hand appeared the comic book he had requested

"See? And this is MY copy that I bought last time I was there so it isn't even STEALING, I buy these things you know, I go to the muggle world once or twice a month for it... and.. ok... food, maybe the muggles are onto something with some of the food, but still!! It's my CHOICE to favor my wizarding blood, is that wrong? I just.. I always fit in here more.... I mean I never REALLY fit in anywhere but here a bloody hell of alot more than THERE, I spent eleven years in the muggle world going to a muggle school and what did it get me but a fat lot of greif? Atleast here I could practice magic without judgement, atleast here I wasn't called CRAZY... most of the time, anyway,"

There was that incident with the Nargals but it was still better than what he was faced with in the muggle world

He swallowed tightly, fingers fisting in the dog's- wolf's?- fur as he stared down at the animal's soft blue eyes

Blue... huh....

"I BELONG here Puppy, is that so bad that I want to stay? And look at Scott! He's a professor here too you know! Ok, sure, he's only doing it through the year so he can go into the feild during the summers but still!!"

The wolf- dog?-, to his credit, seemed sympathetic, resting his head on Stiles' thigh and blinking up at him sadly

He let out a breath, going back to gently scratching behind the cainine's ears as his heavy heart seemed to beat just a little bit lighter

"Thanks for listening, wonder where you came from..."

Sadly Stiles didn't get the chance to inquire further or even get an answer for his original question, as the sound of footsteps around the corner jerked his attention away

Most likely, whoever it was would be asking why he and a random dog-wolf?- were in the Great Hall for no apparent reason, and honestly, he really didn't want to start off his career as a Hogwarts professor like _that_

Especially considering the school year didn't even start until the next day

Even more especially considering Stiles had been something of a troublemaker back in the day...

"Thanks for letting me talk to you Puppy, hopefully I'll see you again some time,"

And with that and little else, Stiles hurried to apperate out of the room so he could avoid suspicion

 

~+~

 

When Stiles arrived at the Great Hall the next morning, there was a blueberry muffin sitting on his plate with a little cherry on it

This was special, because Hogwarts doesn't have blueberry muffins, and Scott would have had to import it from his own stash

Wich were straight from home, made by his mother

And Scott's mom's blueberry muffins were the absolute _best_

He sat down in his place, exchanging understanding smiles with Scott, and grabbing the cherry from the muffin to pop into his mouth

All was apologized for, all was forgiven, and everything was ok

But Stiles did still want to know about the curious dog from yesterday....

 

~+~

 

"When are the first years coming in? I just can't take it anymore, the Sorting Ceremony is my favorite part!"

"They'll be here soon enough, but in the mean time here, eat a potato," Scott said with a laugh, setting a roasted potato on Stiles' plate

The Slytherin wasn't happy about the response, but he understood

Scott wasn't here for the teaching, he was here for the learning

He was just at Hogwarts to continue his studies of herbology, perfect his research, the fact that he was acting as a professor was secondary to his desire to study the massive array of plants wile only having to actually travel for his studies over the summer

But Stiles was the opposite

Stiles was there to teach, and he didn't actually care that much about potions, he cared more about Hogwarts

The double doors opened and Stiles perked up, excitement flooding through him

The Sorting Ceremony was his favorite part of every new year, and not just because he was excited to see who would be in his house

He liked getting glimpses at the talent that came through every year, at the different personalities, and perhaps most of all, seeing the looks on their faces as they took in everything about the new environment- especially the muggle-borns

The students were starting to flood in now, Flitwick herding them in and making his way to the podium as he began to read off the list of names

_"Amarantha Abelcore,"_

The sound of the staff door at the front of the room broke Stiles away from his excitement for a moment, glancing over his shoulder and feeling his heart leap into his throat when he laid eyes on the man making his way towards the staff table

He was... God he was incredible....

Soft black hair, eyes like hazel, a _beard_ \- a really soft looking one too...

And he was wearing a little leather vest over a white button down and black dress pants and a pocket watch and oh dear God Stiles was in love

"Scott, Scott!" he wisper-shouted, yanking hard on Scott's sleeve to get his attention

"Stiles, what-"

"Who is _that_!?" he gasped, pointing over his shoulder to the guy sitting down just two chairs down from him

"What- .. I don't know, Stiles, you're missing the ceremony,"

"Yeah and you're missing THIS,"

He leaned over a little, trying to catch a better glimpse of the mystery man, but to little avail, there were people in the way....

Freaking people...

But Scott had a point, he had been waiting for such a long time to see this and he was so caught up with the hot guy that he was missing it

So he turned his attention back to the process at hand and tried his hardest not to concentrate much on the amazingly gorgeous guy sitting just a few chairs down

Atleast, until the time came for the new school year announcements

"The very best of evenings to you, to our new students welcome, and to our old students welcome back!" McGonogal's voice rang out across the hall

The beginning of the speech ended up being tuned out as per usual, Stiles never did concentrate much around the beginning- the welcome speech was the same every year

It wasn't until the words _"We are pleased to welcome three new members of our staff this year"_ were said that he started paying attention again

"Our new professor of herbology, Scott McCall,"

Scott gave a shy nod of his head, all eyes on him for atleast the moment

"Our new potions master, Stiles Stilinski, who will also be acting as Head Of Slytherin House this year, as our previous Head Of House, Professor Ivanova, has decided to take some time off, after nearly losing her arm during last year's Potions Final,"

Stiles wasn't nearly so shy, beaming like the sun and waving excitedly to the kids in the Great Hall

"And last but not least, our Care Of Magical Creatures professor, Derek Hale, who will also be acting as groundskeeper wile our dear Hagrid is taking the year to spend raising dragons in Romania, we're quite honored to have Professor Hale with us as he's made great strides in the area of research in unusual beings,"

Stiles glanced down a few seats and took note of the man nodding towards the students, confirming that he is, in fact, the same hot guy that had just walked in late to the ceremony

"Derek Hale...." Stiles muttered, leaning back in his chair

"Derek... Hale...."

He gasped, jolting up a little bit straighter

"Oh my God Derek Hale,"

Scott glanced at him, a confused and concerned expression on his face as he tilted his head

"Scott! Don't you remember? Derek Hale! He's the Hufflepuff Quidditch player I had a crush on in second year, remember? He was in seventh year then!"

Scott just gave him a cornered, slightly distressed look, and made it completely obvious that he didn't remember anything

Ah well...

He glanced back across the table towards Derek, finding with sadness but not surprise that the other professor wasn't looking back

Oh well, Stiles had time to get his attention

It wasn't like they were students anymore, Stiles had as much time as he wanted to attract the attention of the Hufflepuff now

And he was definitely going to put it to use

 

~+~

 

Teaching, Stiles found, was equal parts exciting and terrifying

As fun and incredible and just plain amazing as it was to impart knowledge onto young minds, it was also kind of terrifying because he might be doing it wrong

(And that moment in his second class when he nearly lost a finger certainly hadn't made him feel _good_ )

He was still more than a little shocked that he was actually able to do this every day- even though he had been going through the same schedule for over a month now

Sitting down in his place at the staff table in the Great Hall, Stiles glanced over towards the seat that Derek usually occupied, finding with surprise that it was empty

"Hey Scott? Where's Derek?"

"Huh? Oh... I don't know," the herbology professor replied distractedly

"He sits in the same spot every day..." he mumbled, eyebrows pinching in annoyance

"Was he at breakfast?"

"Yeah, just like every morning,"

"Well, maybe something happened during one of his classes? He does take care of the magical creatures, maybe one of them got hurt or something,"

"Yeah..." Stiles mumbled quietly

"Yeah you're right, hey, I'm gonna go check on him ok? See if I can find him at his place," he added quickly, standing up and grabbing a handfull of goodies from the table to take with him

"Sure thing, I'll see you later!" Scott called back as Stiles rushed out of the Great Hall, he wanted to get to Derek's hut at the bottom of the hill before his next class started, so rushing was necessary

 

~+~

 

"Hey!! Derek! You around?"

There was nothing suspicious around outside the hut, everything seemed pretty basic

He moved closer towards the door, tapping on it and rocking on his heels

"Heeeelloooo, Derek?"

He took a step back once he heard the door click open, looking up as Derek peeked out

"What?" the other bit gruffly

"Um.. you weren't at lunch so... I just wondered if everything was ok?"

"I'm fine," he promised, clearing his throat and looking at the floor

Stiles narrowed his eyes, nose wrinkling and pouting a little

Derek didn't seem fine... but he didn't really have time to snoop in the other professor's private issues, knowing that his next class would be starting sooner rather than later

"You gonna be able to teach your next class Big Guy?"

"I'll be fine," he insisted

Stiles nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at the ground

"Ok, well um... if you need anything, you know, I'm here,"

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," he mumbled back, shutting the door right after

Stiles frowned, eyes narrowed and nose wrinkled

Something was odd here...

And Stiles, being a Slytherin, wasn't going to just let that go without an investigation

As quietly as he could, he climbed onto a large pumpkin that was next to the hut, leaning forward to peer into the window and spotting, with surprise, that the same dog who had comforted him a few weeks ago was laying in Derek's hut

He didn't hesitate to jump off of the pumpkin, bursting into the hut and startling the dog out of his stupor

"Oh my God Comfort Dog!! Or... wolf!! Possibly Comfort Wolf!!!"

The animal leaped up, growling as he suddenly shifted into a human form- _Derek's_ human form

"Woah!" Stiles practically shouted, mouth falling open and blinking rapidly

"You're an animagus!!"

"You think?" Derek huffed back in irritation

"I .. why didn't you say anything?"

"Like what? 'Oh hey Person I Don't Know, just wanted to tell you that the wolf you told your secret misfortunes to is actually a fellow professor, now I know what's bothering you'?"

Ah.. ok... good point

(And atleast now Stiles knows he's a wolf and not a dog)

But he still felt oddly betrayed for some reason

"You have a point but still! You'd think there would be SOMETHING-"

"It's almost time for classes to start," Derek interrupted with a tight frown

"We should get going,"

And before Stiles had a chance to argue, he found himself outside the hut and Derek nowhere to be seen

He didn't think that really had anything to do with magic though, so much as it had to do with Derek being a little bit huge and powerfull and, you know, actually pushing him out

Still, unfortunately, he was right, and Stiles couldn't spend any more time lingering, he had to make his way back to his classroom before his students got there

 

~+~

 

For the next three days Derek didn't come to breakfast, lunch, or dinner

Stiles thought about going over to the hut to talk to him again but as Scott mentioned, if Derek really WAS upset with Stiles, then seeing him might just make things worse

So he stayed away ... up until the moment when he no longer had a choice

It was more than past curfew at this point, Stiles was in his office alone working on some lesson plans for the coming weeks, when he heard a nock on his door

"It's open," he called back, not even bothering to look up from his work

The door creaked open, the noise prompting Stiles to glance up in the direction of the Slytherin student who had just entered

"Oh, Hayden, hey there, what's up?"

"Professor, my stomach is killing me, do you have any muggle medicines I can take?"

"Why didn't you go see Madam Pomfry?" Stiles asked in confusion, glancing up from his work

"I tried but she's too busy with the students from your sixth period potions class..."

Yeah, in hindsight, he shouldn't have turned his back on that one kid who's cauldron was starting to crack...

"Ok.. ok, don't worry, I have a potion that will make your stomach feel better, come on, we've got to get to the potions room so I can make it," he replied, pushing away from his desk and clicking his tongue as a ferret suddenly bounced out of a vase a few feet away and scurried towards him

"Do you have any idea what may have caused this?" he asked as he carried the ferret with him towards the exit of his office

"I think.. it may have been the muggle food Liam gave me,"

Stiles paused, eyebrows raised as he shut the door to his office and locked it behind him

"Muggle food that Liam gave you? WHAT muggle food that Liam gave you?"

"I don't know what it's called, but it was a little cake like thing," she huffed back, holding on tightly to Stiles' arm as they made their way towards the potions classroom

"Right..." he muttered, shaking his head slowly and feeling thankfull that his office wasn't far from the potions classroom, it made nights like these alot easier

"I'm going to need to see what it is you ate then," he mused, unlocking the door the classroom and letting Hayden in before setting the ferret on the floor and grabbing a peice of papper from a random desk, along with a quill

"Tinkerbell, go find Scott and take this to him," he instructed, scribbling a note down as quickly as he could before handing it to the ferret

Tinkerbell leaned up and took it in her mouth before racing off and out of the room, allowing Stiles the opportunity to rush over to the front of his classroom, grabbing a cauldron, a pestle, a mortr...

"Professor... it really hurts," Hayden said with a shakey sigh

"I know, I know, I'm coming I promise," he said quickly, grabbing the dried Billywig stingers, the Valarian, the Puffskein fur-....

"Crap..."

"W-What? What's the matter?"

"I'm out of Puffskein fur...."

"Does that mean you can't make the potion?!" Hayden cried

"No no no, I can, I can, I just... I need to get some more first, and luckily I think I know where I can get some from,"

He hurried to put everything else he needed into the cauldron, rushing to wrap Hayden's arm around his shoulders and hurry her out of the classroom

Looks like Derek was going to have to tolerate him after all- no matter if he wanted to or not

 

~+~

 

"Derek!! Derek open up I need help!!"

The door swung open quickly, Derek appearing in the doorway dressed in his sweat pants and a t-shirt, a look of anxiety present on his face

"Stiles?! Wha-"

He paused, blinking in surprise at the sight of a student accompanying his co-worker

"Do you have any spare Puffskein fur? I'm out and I need some for a potion,"

Nodding slowly, Derek moved aside to allow them in, shutting the door behind them as he headed towards the fireplace, grabbing a Puffskien out of a basket from beside the fire, where the little animal had been sleeping peacefully in the warmth

"Sorry Butterworth," he said sympathetically, taking a pair of sheers from the kitchen drawer and starting to snip some clumps of fur from the Puffskein's coat

"What exactly is going on here?" he asked a moment later as Stiles started setting his supplies out on the table

"One of the Gryffindors fed her some muggle food, I don't know what it was, must've been expired or something," he replied

"So she's ill?"

"Yeah," Stiles muttered back, accepting a palm full of the fur and adding it to the quickly growing cauldron of ingredients

"You know, it could be that the reason for her illness is because those raised in the wizarding world aren't used to muggle food, and muggle food uses so many chemicals and such that it's a bit of an assault on our systems,"

Stiles nodded slowly in consideration, hurrying to add the last few things to the potion and get it mixed together as Hayden groaned behind him

"Could be," he muttered absently, not bothering to look up as a loud nock hit against the door

"That should be the Gryffs," he mused

Derek didn't look especially pleased with that, but he didn't look that bothered by it either so ... silver linings

He opened the door, eyebrows raised as Scott stared up at him, hands on the shoulders of two students

"Stiles said there was a problem," he said cryptically

Derek just sighed, letting them in with a bit of reluctance and feeling his shoulders sag as Scott marched forward with the students

"Hayden I'm so sorry you got sick," Liam said quickly as he rushed towards the witch

"You couldn't have known... could you?" she asked, taking the mug of potion from Stiles and sipping on it with a wince of distaste

"I didn't know," the Gryffindor insisted quietly

"What did you guys eat?" Stiles interrupted, a frown on his face as he rolled up his sleeves and turned towards the students

"Just some little chocolatey cakes, we bought them fresh from the store before school started, we know they aren't expired," the other boy, Mason, chimed in

"Probably the muggle thing then," Derek noted as he carefully set Butterworth back in her basket

"Well, whatever it is, you three are going to have to pay for this you know, you've disturbed three professors in the middle of the night, you're up long past your curfews, and you smuggled in muggle food, we can't let all of that go under the radar," Scott pointed out

"Agreed," Stiles nodded- not that he had alot of room to talk, the two of them smuggled muggle food in regularly, but they were professors now and they were allowed (sort of)

They were both quiet for a few moments, exchanging looks before Scott raised an eyebrow at his freind

"...Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well... aren't you going to punish them?"

"Wah- why should I!?"

"Well... you are the head of Slytherin now... and the main cause of all this is a Slytherin..."

"EXCUSE me? The main problem here is a GRYFFINDOR, and as an ex-Gryffindor it should be YOUR job,"

"But... I don't want to..."

"Well I don't want to either..."

Quietly, the two of them turned their attention towards Derek, who had started brewing some tea and thinly raised an eyebrow at them

_"What?"_

"Well.... do you think maybe you could...?"

"I don't see why I SHOULD, what I see here is a Gryffindor, a Slytherin, and a Ravenclaw, I see no Hufflepuffs, so it should be one of YOUR jobs, not mine,"

"But that's just it though! You're an ex-Hufflepuff so you're unbiased!"

Derek's eyes narrowed, nose wrinkling at them, but saying nothing more

Scott and Stiles exchanged looks again, both moving to rub the backs of their necks

"Well... it isn't like anyone got hurt," Scott muttered

"No one HAS to know about this," Stiles agreed

"We should get going, before it gets any later,"

"Agreed,"

Scott quickly lead Liam and Mason towards the door, only for Stiles to reach out and tap his shoulder

"Ah.. actually... could you take Hayden too please? I have some... business to tend to here,"

Scott didn't bother asking, he knew what Stiles needed to do, so he gave a shy smile and nodded, gently nudging Hayden to follow- still sipping her potion- as he lead the four of them out of the hut, leaving Derek and Stiles alone

"Is there a reason you're still here?" Derek asked with a tired sigh

"Yeah, there is, listen I- .. I know I probably really upset you the other day ... given your uh... absences lately... but I really-"

"You didn't upset me," Derek interrupted, causing Stiles to blink in surprise

"I.. didn't? Then why haven't you been at any of the school meals the last three days?"

Derek gave a quiet sigh, shoulders sagging as he took a step closer, grabbing his coat from the coat rack by the door

"C'mon, it's better I show you,"

Stiles was understandably confused, but thought it was probably a good idea to follow him anyway

 

~+~

 

"Oh... my God.... _this_ is why you've been scarce lately?" Stiles breathed

Derek smiled softly, giving a slow nod and looking back out towards the beautifull unicorn resting in the center of the forest

"She's pregnant, she's having a rough time so I've been keeping an eye on her during my breaks,"

That... made so much sense

"But unicorns don't like men... atleast I didn't think they did..."

"They usually are wary of men, but they don't seem to have a problem with me," Derek shrugged back

Well _ofcourse_ they didn't, because Derek was perfect and Stiles was convinced of that

"Wow," he mumbled

Derek gave a slight blush, head bowed and slowly looking back up at him

"She's due any day now, do you want me to let you know when she's ready?"

"Would you really?" Stiles asked in surprise, mouth opening a little bit

"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all,"

Derek smiled back at him, the two of them seeming to simply fall into a soft, gentle quiet, simply watching the unicorns together for a short wile before heading back to Derek's hut for the night

 

~+~

 

"Now I want everyone to add no more than a pinch of Valeraian root,"

He took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself here, because they were one ingredient away from someone inevitably blowing up their cauldron- he knew, it happened every freaking time...

(According to his last potions professor, that is)

"And now... add ONE. DROP. of leech juice, no more, no less,"

Three... two.... one....

***BOOM***

Ah yes, right on schedule

"Alright, who's was it?"

Not that Stiles really had to ask, Liam looked guilty as sin holding the bottle over the cauldron and staring at him like a deer in the headlights of life

His eyes narrowed, nose wrinkling as he opened his mouth to start asking what they did wrong, when suddenly the doors burst open

"Professor! Professor Hale's requesting you! The baby's coming!"

"What!?" Stiles shreiked, wasting no time in rushing out from behind his desk

"Ok class follow me!! You're all about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime moment here!!"

 

~+~

 

"Derek! Derek! Is it here!? Did I miss it!?"

"Shh!!"

Stiles swallowed tightly, heart pounding a mile a minute as he slowed his steps, approaching at a snail's pace as he stared at the beautifull, glowing white unicorn on the ground

Derek was sitting in front of her, a gaggle of fourth-years behind him watching with baited breath as much as Stiles' own class full of six-years were

"We've already got the head but she seems to be a bit stuck," Derek explained quietly

Stiles swallowed tightly, nodding like a bobblehead and hurrying to jerk off his coat and roll up his sleeves before crouching down beside the other professor

"What do you need me to do?" he asked under his breath

"Nothing right now, just stay calm, and if any of the students get too close-"

"Right,"

Just in case, he took his wand out of his pocket too, after all, anything could go wrong...

The unicorn gave a distressed huff, startling Stiles for a moment as Derek moved to gently stroke the unicorn's belly

"Shh... that's it, you're doing so well Darling, almost there, just a little more now,"

Stiles was suddenly glad he was a potions professor, he didn't think he had the stomach for this sort of thing

He let out a squeak of distress himself when a gush of blood shot forward, as well as another half of the baby unicorn

"Oh my God," he mumbled, swallowing tightly and looking down

"Stiles," Derek hissed, eyes narrowed as he gently, soothingly rubbed the unicorn's belly as she took another heaving breath

And then, in a sudden moment, the unicorn was born, and Stiles was quickly scrambling to wrap the young foal in his coat and grab his wand, gently cradling the little unicorn and pressing the wand tip to her mouth

_"Anapneo,"_

The foal twitched, then startled, coughing a little and squirming to sit upright in Stiles' coat

"O-Oh my God... hey there little one," he breathed in amazement

Derek gave a small smile in his direction, gently stroking the mother unicorn's mane and turning towards his class

"It's almost time for class to end, go back to the classroom and wait on the next group so you can tell them where we are, alright?"

The students didn't waste time, taking off as instructed

"Um.. Professor Stilinski, what about us?" one of Stiles' students asked

"Um... same to you, I'll hold my next class out here," he replied with a small shrug

This would be a great opportunity to show the third-years how to harvest ingredients if Derek was willing to stick around for it

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," Stiles mumbled the moment the last of the students was gone, a shudder of amazement rushing through him as he turned to look up at Derek

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Derek agreed quietly, turning his attention back towards Stiles with a soft expression on his face

"Yeah... I never thought I'd ever be able to get this close to a unicorn," he mused, very gently handing the foal over to the other professor

"Mm, it's certainly a rare opportunity,"

"But not for you, I mean, you're practically Newt Scamander's long lost son here, you could convince any animal to be tame," Stiles said with a slight snort

Derek's lips quirked up a little, setting the foal in front of the mother unicorn and moving a little bit closer to Stiles

"I don't think I'm anywhere near THAT good... but thank you anyway, I truly appreciate it,"

"Are you kidding me? You're the KING of animals!! I mean even UNICORNS like you!"

"Well thank you," Derek said shyly, face red as he looked down at the ground

"No no, thank YOU," Stiles grinned back

Slowly, Derek rose to his feet, reaching out and helping Stiles up as well before grabbing a cloth out of his pocket to wipe his hands on

"We should really get back to the hut before the students get here, I'm not sure what you're planning for your potions class but-"

"I actually thought... maybe I could teach them how to harvest some ingredients, if .. you could help?"

Derek let a small smile slip from his lips, nodding his head shyly

"I could teach mine how to shave a Puffskein,"

"Perfect! And .. maybe, since this is the last period of the day... when it's over we can have dinner together?"

"You mean in the Great Hall?"

"Yeah or... or here, anywhere is fine, really, I mean, Scott has been ditching me lately to talk to the astronomy professor, Kara or... Kira or some such,"

"His loss," Derek said with a teasing smirk, taking Stiles' hand and pulling him a little closer

"We should wash up before the students get here, we can talk about our eating arrangements after,"

"Yeah and uh.. maybe you can tell me about your work? I mean, outside of the castle ofcourse... why'd you come here to teach anyway when you have such a cool job?"

Derek gave a small shrug, letting his hand clutch Stiles' a little tighter as they started walking back to the hut

"Hagrid asked me to be groundskeeper in his absence and when I learned of the empty teaching post I couldn't pass it up, besides I'm... not much of an adventurous person really, I prefer quiet things, I work with animals because I get on well with them, because they're different, they need someone to advocate for them and.. they don't judge the way people do, but I thought... perhaps, instead of researching and just hoping to make people understand who have already formed their opinions, I could instead impart the knowledge I already have on young, fresh minds who are only just beginning to form their opinions, and when they grow up, their opinions will be .. kinder, more understanding, they won't have to have their minds changed to begin with,"

Derek's story sounded like his own, in many ways, except instead of retreating to animals, Stiles retreated to magic

"A much nobler cause than my own," he noted as they walked

"You wanted to teach because you wanted to stay at Hogwarts, because Hogwarts is your home right? There's nothing wrong with that you know,"

"Well it's... it's part that, I guess, but... mostly I just want to stay where magic is and you can't get more magicy than Hogwarts, well... except MAYBE the Ministry but I'd rather let one of your beasts eat me alive than work for THAT place,"

"Problem with authority or with the Ministry it's self?" Derek asked teasingly

"Oh, both, hands down it's both," Stiles snorted back, grinning up at him

"I just.. I grew up in the muggle world, I'm a half-blood but I didn't know Mum was a witch until after she died and I got my Hogwarts letter, Dad didn't know either, my entire life I've been yanked in two directions, wizarding or non-wizarding, walking in the same footsteps my Mum walked or in the ones my dad walked, and no matter where I went I was weird and outcasted and abnormal but... atleast here in the magic realm I'm talented at something and I can make a good name for myself and ... I can fit, somewhere, atleast a little bit,"

"Sounds like we're both just looking for where we belong,"

"Well... call me crazy... but maybe we belong... together? I mean, who said finding your place had to be some big worldwide thing? Why can't it just be finding your place with another person?"

"Do you really think so?"

Derek sounded curious and... hopefull, oddly, and it gave Stiles the courage to hope along with him

"Yeah, I really really do," he confirmed

Derek stopped just outside of the hut, smiling and leaning down, pressing his forehead against the Slytherin's

"You know... I think that might just work,"

And without any warning outside of that, Derek's lips were suddenly pressing against Stiles', making the younger professor shudder pleasantly, a smile crossing his lips as he wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and pressed closer, deepening the kiss with enthusiasm, only for Derek to pull away after a few heavenly moments

"The kids are coming,"

"Oh... don't tell me that," Stiles huffed

"Don't worry, we'll continue this later, maybe after curfew?"

Stiles couldn't help the smirk that came across his lips then, eyes gleaming mischievously

"Ohhh, and here I thought Hufflepuffs were goody-two-shoes,"

"Yeah," Derek said with a small shrug, smirking just as brightly

"But you have to get a little devious when your mate is a Slytherin,"


End file.
